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Great Concept and Performances, but the Plot Points Drag
I originally wrote a review after watching the first six episodes. At the time, I felt Tian Xiwei was absolutely nailing her character, and I loved the premise. I thought the concept was interesting, but the execution and pacing weren't working for me. I was finding the storyline increasingly drawn out, with plot points that seemed to overstay their welcome.
In the beginning, it felt like I was watching a man spend 55 minutes every episode being suspicious of the female lead while she tried to kill him with kindness, occasionally sprinkling in a little cunning and a few clever moves. I understood the reasons behind their respective behaviors, but six hours in, the dynamic was getting pretty dry, and I was becoming increasingly blasé about the whole thing. I just wasn't motivated to keep watching at that pace. I wished the episodes had been streamlined a bit so the story wouldn't linger so long on certain developments.
However, there were still plenty of things I enjoyed, which is why I decided to skip certain segments rather than abandon the drama altogether. I didn't want to trudge through every scene and arc that disappointed me simply for the sake of being able to say I watched every minute. I knew those negative experiences would eventually overshadow whatever I appreciated about the drama. It's happened to me before.
To put my approach into perspective, I probably averaged around 40 minutes per 55-minute episode, sometimes skipping or fast-forwarding through scenes when the execution wasn't working for me or the filler became tedious. And I don't regret that decision. It allowed me to avoid letting the shortcomings consume my viewing experience. I could dip out of the stretches that weren't holding my interest and return to the parts that did. In doing so, I wasn't as bothered by developments that might otherwise have felt abrupt or disappointing, and I came away with a much more positive outlook than I might have otherwise.
What kept me invested was the character work, particularly the main character and so many of the female characters. They were bold and strong, and I adored their dynamics. Even when some of them were completely unhinged, I felt it worked within the context of the story and helped carry the narrative. I was especially drawn to the character-building scenes, the underlying psychology, the masterplans. The power plays made me cheer and snicker. Those were the elements I wanted to spend my time with. So even when the plots didn't always make sense to me, I wasn't particularly thrown off because I had become invested in the aspects that worked for me and simply omitted the ones that didn't.
Had I watched the entire drama from beginning to end without skipping anything, I suspect the weaker moments and disappointments would have bothered me considerably more. Instead, I could take them for what they were without allowing them to sour the entire experience. I still got to follow the characters, enjoy the developments I cared about, and participate in the discussions with everyone else. Ultimately, I made the viewing experience work for me, and I had fun seeing it through to the end.
As for my rating, the original 5 I gave it after six episodes remains unchanged. Even after finishing the drama, I continued finding myself skipping or fast-forwarding through certain scenes, again, averaging around 40 minutes of viewing time per episode. To me, that says something about the overall compatibility of the drama. While I managed to make it an enjoyable watch, I had to adjust my viewing to get there. So, while I came away having enjoyed the experience, I still wouldn't say it was a particularly good match for me.
Note: If you're someone who believes viewers should have to sit through every extra 10 to 15 minutes of material they aren't enjoying before their rating can be trusted, then by all means, disregard my opinion altogether.
In the beginning, it felt like I was watching a man spend 55 minutes every episode being suspicious of the female lead while she tried to kill him with kindness, occasionally sprinkling in a little cunning and a few clever moves. I understood the reasons behind their respective behaviors, but six hours in, the dynamic was getting pretty dry, and I was becoming increasingly blasé about the whole thing. I just wasn't motivated to keep watching at that pace. I wished the episodes had been streamlined a bit so the story wouldn't linger so long on certain developments.
However, there were still plenty of things I enjoyed, which is why I decided to skip certain segments rather than abandon the drama altogether. I didn't want to trudge through every scene and arc that disappointed me simply for the sake of being able to say I watched every minute. I knew those negative experiences would eventually overshadow whatever I appreciated about the drama. It's happened to me before.
To put my approach into perspective, I probably averaged around 40 minutes per 55-minute episode, sometimes skipping or fast-forwarding through scenes when the execution wasn't working for me or the filler became tedious. And I don't regret that decision. It allowed me to avoid letting the shortcomings consume my viewing experience. I could dip out of the stretches that weren't holding my interest and return to the parts that did. In doing so, I wasn't as bothered by developments that might otherwise have felt abrupt or disappointing, and I came away with a much more positive outlook than I might have otherwise.
What kept me invested was the character work, particularly the main character and so many of the female characters. They were bold and strong, and I adored their dynamics. Even when some of them were completely unhinged, I felt it worked within the context of the story and helped carry the narrative. I was especially drawn to the character-building scenes, the underlying psychology, the masterplans. The power plays made me cheer and snicker. Those were the elements I wanted to spend my time with. So even when the plots didn't always make sense to me, I wasn't particularly thrown off because I had become invested in the aspects that worked for me and simply omitted the ones that didn't.
Had I watched the entire drama from beginning to end without skipping anything, I suspect the weaker moments and disappointments would have bothered me considerably more. Instead, I could take them for what they were without allowing them to sour the entire experience. I still got to follow the characters, enjoy the developments I cared about, and participate in the discussions with everyone else. Ultimately, I made the viewing experience work for me, and I had fun seeing it through to the end.
As for my rating, the original 5 I gave it after six episodes remains unchanged. Even after finishing the drama, I continued finding myself skipping or fast-forwarding through certain scenes, again, averaging around 40 minutes of viewing time per episode. To me, that says something about the overall compatibility of the drama. While I managed to make it an enjoyable watch, I had to adjust my viewing to get there. So, while I came away having enjoyed the experience, I still wouldn't say it was a particularly good match for me.
Note: If you're someone who believes viewers should have to sit through every extra 10 to 15 minutes of material they aren't enjoying before their rating can be trusted, then by all means, disregard my opinion altogether.
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